Inken Bartels

Dr. Inken Bartels is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück, Germany. Since 2019, she has specialized in the politics of statistical knowledge production about migration and its impact on governance in West Africa. Her academic journey includes a PhD in Sociology from Humboldt University of Berlin (2018), a diploma in political science from Freie Universität Berlin and Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I, and visiting research at the European University Institute in Florence (2013-2014).

• Research Interests
• Migration and Border Regimes
• Knowledge Production on Migration
• International Organizations (especially IOM)
• Return Migration
• North and West Africa
• Practice Theories
• Science and Technology Studies
• Qualitative Methods

Her recent book The International Organization for Migration in North Africa (Routledge 2022) analyzes IOM's role in shaping migration governance through information campaigns, voluntary return programs, and anti-trafficking initiatives. Her publications span topics like EU-IOM cooperation, contested migration terminology, and the moral economies of migration research. She has taught courses at the University of Hamburg, University of Osnabrück, Humboldt University, and Kiel University on subjects including Bourdieusian theory, migration policy, and border studies.